


no grave

by aerike



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, i guess, this is very self indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:00:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27879498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerike/pseuds/aerike
Summary: Death was tired, exhausted, missing a part of himself that no one could find. Life, his other half, had vanished.
Relationships: Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 212





	no grave

Everyone knew the story of Sisyphus, a king of old who tried to cheat Death, by locking its incarnation away from the world, only to be punished and brought to hell by the God of War himself, angered by the lack of deaths in his conflicts. 

The ancient ones, the elders in their villages and families, would tell them of warriors with slit throats and snapped necks walking around sputtering blood, barely aware of their surroundings but still unable to surrender to Death until the God of War took action.

They were now living in a world deprived of Life.

Death was overworking these days, trying to keep up with the ever increasing number of bodies in the pile, almost sinking Charon's boat, Hermes himself was running out of breath and the God of War was left wondering when mortals became more savages than his imagination could come up with.

Death was tired, exhausted, missing a part of himself that no one could find. Life, his other half, had vanished.

Humans were dying at a faster rate than they were being born, the lives in the few remaining villages hanging by a single, very fine and frail thread, that consisted almost entirely of Death neglecting his duties, instead busy trying to find his twin soul. 

Death tried seeking help. The God of the Dead himself, although not showing it as clearly as the Queen of the Underworld and his Lady Wife, Goddess of Verdure, had noticed the lack of somewhat amicable conflict now part of his routine, courtesy of his first and only son, now lost in the world. 

And so they put their thoughts together. Sadly, Death had to relive his bitter memories of being locked away, had to swallow the poison in the back of his tongue that said maybe Life had also been locked away, for someone that, for some wicked kind of reason, didn't want Life to thrive, for other mortals to be born and keep living so.

The Gods kept an eye out, for another mischievous royalty trying to get their way around the deities, trying to acquire something that was never supposed to belong to them in the first place.

Nothing. 

Mother Night considered asking her daughters, the ever mysterious Fates, for a clue, a small hint, any indication of the whereabouts of her adoptive son. But the Fates were as unresponsive as they were mysterious, and Mother Night, along with her children Sleep and Death, were left to search for more options. 

The answer came in the form of a boat full of bitter shades, all of them battered and overworked to the bone, claiming to only barely escaping their tyrannical lord, who somehow found a way to cheat Death, control Life and Blood itself, allowing none in his reach to ever surrender to the blissful after life rest, all in name of riches and abundance. 

Death was furious. 

The unfortunate ones close enough to feel his wrath would tell you of unrelenting winds, of a heavy bell ringing with a menacing note in the back of their minds, of everything standing still and moving with urgency at the same time. 

The ones around the lord's property would tell you of rain suddenly doing its best to break the roof above their heads, of the before calm night suddenly darkening, the stars looking sharp and the moon looming above like a harbinger of doom. 

They would tell of the menacing glim of Death's scythe and sword, both gripped tightly in his hands, of his golden eyes glowing in the darkness, his feet gliding above ground, taking him with an ominous silence to the lord's door.   


They would remind you of their bloodshot eyes, of their inability to sleep, of their endless energy that didn't mean letting go of weariness and dread. They would tell you Death walked straight past them, following the smell of blood and snow, of the one he had lost but now had found.

The lord tried to bargain, to speak of his beloved family, to force naivety into Death's cold for all but one heart. The lord failed. 

Death's sword found his throat in a merciless strike, soon followed by his scythe being buried in the lord's heart, reaching his most painful memories and most bitter feelings, violence bringing satisfaction to the always peaceful Death. 

Life was found lying in a pool of his own blood, wounds covering his body and his burning feet now but dying embers. Death wondered if he could ask Life to bring the lord back once again, if only to find more painful ways to send him to the God of the Dead. 

Death gathered Life in his arms, his soul silently rejoicing in being whole once again. Life was unconscious, but he could still feel the cold around his battered body turning into the warmth of safety and, for the first time in… who knew how long, he surrendered to sleep. 

The ones around the lord's property would tell you they remembered nothing of what happened afterwards for, after Life itself leaving their surroundings, their tired eyes found rest, their bodies, worn so thin and decaying so slowly, gave up on them, letting them fall to the ground, the sudden lack of energy being too much a heavy weight. 

Nothing was said of Life and Death afterwards. None knew of their whereabouts, but the numbers of mortals were rising once again, Death seemed to no longer be a constant presence around them, now taking his sweet time leaving his other half. 

Life and Death, one and the same, together for eternity or until they said otherwise. 


End file.
